Glazed Ham Recipe

This Glazed Ham Recipe is simply the best! Made with brown sugar, mustard, pineapple, and honey, this glaze makes an addictive and moist ham every time. It will be the star of your holiday dinner! 

In my opinion, glazed ham is good enough to serve all year long, but it’s especially perfect for Christmas dinner or Easter. Serve it with Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Cheddar Spoonbread or these Best Glazed Carrots.

And the best part is, if you have leftovers, you can whip up these Ham and Cheese Pinwheels with Everything Bagel Seasoning for a special treat. Be sure to save that ham bone too, to make this Ham & Bean Soup. 

This baked ham recipe is a crowd-pleaser around the holidays and it’s SO easy! In fact, it’s almost completely hands-free: Just make the glaze and baste the ham throughout the baking time. No extra steps, minimal mess, and stellar results. 

 It will be the star of your holiday table.

Too often people spend long hours in the kitchen only to end up with a bland, dry ham. Not so with this recipe! This ham roast turns out super moist and full of flavor thanks to the glaze. The sweet pineapple, honey, and brown sugar meld into the perfect sticky glaze, while the mustard balances the sweetness. 

The glaze makes this holiday ham the star of the show.

How do you make glazed ham?

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Place ham, cut side down, in a large roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil to retain moisture. 
3. Bake, until the center registers 100-110 degrees, (approx. 10-14 minutes per pound). 
4. Whisk together glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, until brown sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
5. Remove ham from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. 
6. Brush with brown sugar ham glaze.
7. Bake, uncovered, until the ham reaches an internal temperature of around 140 degrees, approximately 20-30 minutes, brushing with additional glaze every 10 minutes.
8. Remove ham from oven and brush again with glaze. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes, then brush once more with any remaining glaze and serve.

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What kind of ham to buy?

• I prefer to buy a fully cooked, bone-in, spiral cut ham. Bone-in hams tend to be the most flavorful, and spiral hams have the added benefit of being easier to cut. I also think more of the brown sugar mustard glaze seeps into the ham this way. But you can also use boneless ham for this recipe.

How long should you cook a fully cooked ham?

• Since the ham is already fully cooked, the most important thing is just to get it warm again. To be warmed all the way through, cook your spiral ham until an instant-read thermometer reads 140°F when inserted in the thickest part of the ham. For a 5-7 pound ham, this takes about 2 ½ hours. 
• Don’t have a thermometer? This is my favorite meat thermometer!

FAQ

How do you keep glazed ham moist?

• My first big tip is to cook the ham with the cut side down to seal the moisture into the ham. Then make sure to add glaze about every 30 minutes to keep adding and sealing in moisture. Last, be careful not to overbake the ham. It is already cooked, so it only needs to be warmed through. 

Can you glaze a ham the night before?

• It’s best to glaze this ham while it is cooking, so I prefer to do it the day-of. The glaze adds moisture to the ham and creates a super delicious caramelized crust on the top that is best when served fresh. 

Leftovers:

You’ll likely have plenty of leftovers . Store those in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

I always look forward to a ham sandwich the next day with a little dijon mustard! It would also be great with this Honey Mustard Sauce.

What’s the best glaze for ham?

• I make this glaze with pineapple, honey, brown sugar, and mustard for the ultimate flavor – it’s the best! The most important tip is to not overcook the glaze on the stove. Bring it to a gentle simmer and only cook it until the sugar is dissolved. If you cook it too long, you’ll end up with a thick caramel-like mixture that isn’t easy to spread on the ham. 

Glaze variations

Try these other ham glaze recipes:

• Orange Glaze: Swap the pineapple juice for orange juice.
• Maple Glaze: Swap the honey for maple syrup.
• Apricot Glaze: Swap the honey for apricot preserves.

Wine pairings for Glazed Ham:

• A Chardonnay or Riesling would compliment the sweet and salty flavors of this ham.
• For red wine, a Zinfandel or Pinot Noir would make great pairings for this recipe.

If you loved this Glazed Ham recipe I would appreciate it so much if you would give it a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

For more great Platings & Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

More Holiday recipes:

• Rack of Lamb with Herb Crust
• Sous Vide Prime Rib Roast with Garlic Herb Butter
• Sous Vide Ribeye Steak with Compound Butter
• Easy Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
• Ham and Cheese Pinwheels with Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Instant Pot Deviled Eggs

PS – Be sure to save that leftover ham hock to make this Ham & Bean Soup!

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham Recipe